


A Good Book and a Heart to Break

by J (j_writes)



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Drabble Collection, Fake AH Crew, Female Jack, GTA AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 04:13:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2837606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_writes/pseuds/J
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It took Gavin getting on a plane to England for Geoff to realize it was going to take a whole crew to replace him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Good Book and a Heart to Break

**Author's Note:**

> [fictional characters based on the internet personas of actual people, doing entirely fictional things. I do not give permission for this work or any of my others to be used in Rooster Teeth content.]
> 
> set in the [Fake AH Life](http://thebeatneverleaves.tumblr.com/fakeahlife) universe.

In the beginning, it was Geoff and Gavin.

In the _very_ beginning, it was Burnie, Gus, Geoff, Matt, and Joel, but the territory kept expanding, and Gavin was only the first stray they acquired. When they split off, started focusing on their own cities, Gav was all the team Geoff wanted or needed.

They fucking ran that city, the two of them, with Geoff's plans and Gavin by his side, executing them with or without precision.

It took Gavin getting on a plane to England for Geoff to realize it was going to take a whole crew to replace him.  
______________

The first time Geoff kissed Jack, it was raining.

The sirens had faded in the distance, and he came tearing down an alley to find her huddled in a doorway with their take stuffed away in her backpack. She started laughing when she saw him, open and relieved, and he closed his hand over hers on the bag, wanting to tell her that celebration should wait until the job was done, until they were safe and home.

Instead, he let her infectious laughter catch him, grinning and leaning up against her, kissing her deeply in the dark of the alleyway.  
______________

"This a trial run?" The merc's voice was muffled under his mask. "Because I hear I wasn't your first choice."

Jack seriously considered pretending she couldn't hear him over the rotors. "You weren't," she said finally. "Last guy wasn't looking for a crew."

"Neither am I."

"I hear the Mad King could use someone watching his back right now."

His eyes crinkled in a smile behind the mask. "That going to be you?"

"In answer to your other question," Jack said, "yes. This _is_ a trial run." 

He didn't even look surprised as she pushed him out of the chopper.  
______________

"Don't worry about it."

Geoff looked up from his scope and carefully didn't startle at Michael's sudden appearance. "Jones," he said instead. "Thought you were in Jersey."

"I was," Michael replied. "Don't bother. It's taken care of."

Geoff eyed him. "What do you mean by – "

Michael stayed there, unflinching and silhouetted against the burning sky as the gas station went up in flames. When the spots cleared from Geoff's eyes, all he could see was Michael, deadly and beautiful as he held out a hand. "Know how I said I wasn't looking for a crew? Circumstances may have changed."  
______________

"Geoff, if you want me to keep showing up to cover your ass like this, you should probably give me a real job."

Ray was sitting on the couch, his feet kicked up on the coffee table. Michael was sprawled out beside him, hat pulled down over his eyes, his head just barely resting against Ray's leg.

"You two know each other, then," Geoff said dryly.

"Sure, I know Ray," Michael said. "I _love_ Ray. We go way back."

"East Coast crew," Ray said, reaching out for an ironic fistbump, but his smile down at Michael was fond and genuine.  
______________

"You know how many times I considered flying out to haul your ass back here?" Jack was drunk, and Gavin was stretched out beside her, his feet tucked under her leg.

"You didn't even know me!"

"Geoff did," she said darkly. "And none of us were ever going to be whatever he was missing."

"Oh, you never wanted that," Gavin said without hesitation. "You're lovely." 

She eyed him skeptically, but she'd already learned that he didn't say things he didn't mean. "You worked."

He laughed, tipping his head back. "No," he said, "we were some lucky bastards. This? This works."  
______________

It shouldn't have been a thrill anymore, blasting out of the city with one hand on the wheel and the other on the trigger, but it was different, somehow, having Ray beside him, his shots casual and deadly, but his whole body practically vibrating with barely restrained energy. 

They were first to the meeting spot, and Ray burst out of the car, pacing circles around Ryan. "You good?" Ryan asked him steadily.

"You know it," Ray said. His grin was cocky and contagious, and Ryan couldn't help smiling back, letting his eyes crinkle up at him from under the mask.  
______________

"Do you sleep?" Gavin asked, yawning.

"Not much, no." Ray looked up. "So now that we're on the same continent, you're afraid to face me? It's because of my sweet skills, isn't it? It's okay, you can admit it. I intimidate you."

" _Please_." Gavin flopped onto the armchair, fumbling the controller Ray tossed him. "Geoff doesn't intimidate me. _Ryan_ doesn't intimidate me. You?" He made a dismissive noise.

"That's a lie. Ryan absolutely intimidates you." Ray started a new match. "Best of three?"

Gavin woke in the morning with his face pressed to Ray's chest, controller still in his hand.  
______________

They were barely through the door of the safehouse before Ryan was peeling the mask off. He could feel Gavin staring at him blatantly. "What?" 

Gavin shrugged. "Thought it would be a bit more dramatic. The unveiling, and all." 

"I wear it to hide from targets, Gavin. You don't qualify." He fixed Gavin with a cold look. "Yet," he added and Gavin startled momentarily before Ryan's expression melted into a smirk. He dropped the mask on a table, raking his fingers through his hair and meeting Gavin's eyes. 

Gavin went faintly pink, and Ryan filed that information away for later.  
______________

"I mean," Ray said, reaching out to tilt Jack's hat and look at it consideringly, "a crew's got to look fucking sweet, right?"

"Hell yeah," Jack agreed. She inspected herself in the mirror. "I don't know, you don't think it's too much?"

Ray gave her a withering look. "You're talking to the guy in a tuxedo," he pointed out.

"You have a point."

"Bus is leaving, motherfuckers," Geoff called across the store. "We got what we came here for. We don't have time for a goddamn shopping montage."

"Geoffrey," Ray said admonishingly. "There is _always_ time for a shopping montage."  
______________

"I could use your advice on a security job."

The blueprints were odd, the layout of the building impractical, and it took Ryan a long time to put the pieces together.

"Who else knows about this place?" He finally asked. Geoff met his eyes steadily, and for the first time, Ryan missed the mask. "Right," he said quietly. "Didn't take you for the mountain cabin type."

Geoff shrugged with a half smile. "Fireplace, library, peace and quiet?"

Ryan laughed. "Peace and quiet. Sure." He got back to work, neither of them acknowledging that men like them didn't make retirement plans.  
_______________

Geoff jerked awake, banging his head against the wall.

"Morning, sunshine." Geoff tipped his head back to look up at Ray, who was still calmly peering down the scope of his rifle.

"Any movement?" he asked.

"Yeah, I took them all out while you were sleeping."

"Smartass." Geoff cracked his neck. 

"You know," Ray said, "you pay smartasses like me to do this stakeout thing for you. You don't actually have to be here."

"Yeah. I do."

"Figured," Ray replied mildly. He handed off the rifle to Geoff and dropped to the floor, stretching out beside him in companionable silence.  
_______________

"Jesus _fuck_ , Jack, that was stupid," Michael hissed, slamming her back against the wall.

"Aw, Michael, you _do_ care," she replied.

"Shut the fuck up," he replied roughly. "Ryan's almost in position, and then we're - " The words cut off with a sharp intake of breath, and she watched blankly as blood spread out across his jacket. "Well," he said quietly. "Shit."

"Bravo Two?" Geoff's voice sounded sharply in her ear. "Status?"

"All good," Michael replied, his eyes wild and insistent at Jack, who reached out to press a hand to his side, not trusting her voice to agree.  
_______________

"Ow."

"Michael?" Gavin said. "Don't try to move."

"Trust me, buddy, that's not gonna happen." When his eyes blinked open, Gavin was peering at him intently, his hair rumpled and lines worn into his face. Michael reached to ruffle a hand through his hair. "So that sucked," he said. "Let's not do that again." Gavin didn't manage to look relieved, and Michael felt a sudden lurch of concern. He looked around at the empty room. "Not that I don't appreciate your bedside manner, but where is everyone?" Gavin looked sick. "Gav? Who - "

"Ryan," Gavin said, his voice rough.  
_______________

Ryan was reaching for his gun before he opened his eyes. "Hey," Michael said, and Ryan's eyes fell on him, slumped by the bed, Geoff leaning against the doorframe. He took in the room, and his face paled.

"A fireplace and a library," he said, looking over Michael's shoulder to the door. " _Fuck_ , Geoff."

Geoff shrugged. "Needed somewhere secure," he said. 

"You burned this place for - " he let his eyes fall back to Michael.

"For you fuckups, yeah," Geoff agreed.

Michael should have expected the next question, but it made him laugh painfully anyway. "Someone save my mask?"  
_______________

"The thing is," Ryan said, leaning against the car, "I probably should have expected you to take what I said literally."

"Probably," Jack agreed, settling against his side. "You've met him."

Geoff didn't reply, his expression unchanging as Gavin leaned against his back, wrapping an arm around him and resting his chin on Geoff's shoulder.

"So was this always in the plan?" Ray asked, not quite hovering over Michael, but careful not to jostle him as he bounced lightly on his toes beside him.

"Doesn't matter," said Geoff. "It's time for a new plan."

Together, they watched the cabin burn.


End file.
